As early as after SARS in 2003, there was a climax in the construction of exhibition halls in China. At that time, China Exhibition Hall Association made statistics on the number and area of exhibition halls in China. Statistics show that there were 158 exhibition venues in China at that time. The total indoor exhibition area of the National Exhibition Hall is 3.22 million square meters, and the total outdoor exhibition area is 22 1 square meter. Its indoor exhibition area has begun to surpass Germany, the exhibition kingdom. In 2004, the Ministry of Commerce also conducted a survey on the exhibition market in China. According to the survey report, by the end of 2003, there were 2 12 exhibition venues in China, which increased by 8 1.20% and 20.5% in 2002 and 2006 respectively, with a total construction area of 6,065,438 square meters and an exhibition area of 251.
Nevertheless, in the following years, the construction of local pavilions in China continued unabated, and almost every provincial capital city and other large and medium-sized cities were building, expanding and renovating pavilions, with a large scale and rapid speed. For example, Chengdu New International Convention and Exhibition Center with an investment of 5 billion yuan and a construction area of1150,000 square meters, Shenyang International Convention and Exhibition Center Phase II with an overall construction area of about 5 times, and Wuhan International Expo Center with an investment of more than 7 billion yuan are all large in scale.
According to relevant data, by the end of 2006, China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) had 170 exhibition centers and venues (excluding those with exhibition area less than 2,000 square meters), with a total exhibition area of 5.37 million square meters, far exceeding that of Germany, a big exhibition country.
The overheated construction of the exhibition hall also makes the industry deeply worried. In 2006 and 2007, the speed of venue construction slowed down briefly. However, in 2008, a new wave of exhibition hall construction rose again, and many new exhibition halls started construction.
On June 5438+ 10, 2008, in order to conform to Chongqing's urban development orientation and goals and enhance Chongqing's influence in the whole southwest region, the second phase of the international scheme collection of Chongqing International Convention and Exhibition Center was launched in an all-round way.
In May 2008, the comprehensive project of Yichang Three Gorges International Convention and Exhibition Center with a total investment of nearly 2 billion entered the construction and implementation stage.
In July 2008, Yinchuan International Convention and Exhibition Center, with a building area of 220,000 square meters, passed the preliminary acceptance by the quality inspection department and opened its doors in August of the same year.
In September 2008, the planning and architectural design scheme of Shijiazhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center was officially opened, which marked the beginning of the substantive operation stage of Shijiazhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center project.
On September 15, 2008, Changzhou Municipal Government announced that Changzhou Olympic Sports Center and Changzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, which have the largest single investment since the founding of the People's Republic of China, have been completed for more than two years and will be put into use in the near future.
June 5438+October 2008 10, the construction of the tea exhibition hall of the Second Cross-Strait Tea Expo was completed and delivered as scheduled.
On March 29th, 2009, Xinjiang International Convention and Exhibition Center broke ground in Hongguangshan, and it is planned to be put into use in Urumqi Fair on October 20th. Upon completion, this exhibition center, which means "the bright moon rises from the top of heaven", will become a landmark building in the autonomous region.
On March 3rd, 2009, the foundation stone was laid for Shenyang Exhibition Center, the largest exhibition venue in Northeast China. It is planned to be completed and put into use in May next year. As a key project in Shenyang, Shenyang Convention and Exhibition Center has a total investment of 800 million yuan and a total construction area of 6,543,800 square meters.
Haikou plans to build an international convention and exhibition center with a certain scale in Melissa and turn it into a landmark building in Haikou.
A large convention and exhibition center will be built near Shenzhen Airport, covering an area of about 6,543,800 square meters.
Kunming invested 7 billion yuan to build "Expo Exhibition City". Considering that the current convention and exhibition center is far from meeting the demand, Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center Co., Ltd. plans to build a "convention and exhibition city" near the administrative center of Chenggong New Town in Kunming, with an estimated total investment of more than 7 billion yuan.
At the same time, the expansion project of Hunan new convention and exhibition center is also put on the agenda. According to Du Zhongta, director of Changsha Convention and Exhibition Office, Hunan Province is actively planning to build larger convention and exhibition venues. At present, Meixi Lake, the pilot area of Dahexi in Changsha, has been selected, and the initial construction scale will reach at least 200,000 square meters.
Nanchang International Exhibition Center invested 80 million yuan to expand; The Straits International Convention and Exhibition Center will become a landmark building in Fuzhou and a new city in the east of Fuzhou. Guangdong Xingning Convention and Exhibition Center completed; Fujian Nan 'an will build an exhibition center; Yuyao Suzhong International Convention and Exhibition Center has taken on a new look ... A new round of exhibition hall construction is in full swing.
Under the special background of the economic crisis sweeping the world, the exhibition area has shrunk and the number of exhibitors has decreased, which has also had an obvious impact on the exhibition hall. However, the construction of the exhibition hall has made great strides, becoming a unique landscape under the financial crisis, which makes people feel mixed.
Red warning: the operation of the exhibition hall will face greater difficulties
The rapid increase of exhibition halls has effectively solved the bottleneck of the development of convention and exhibition industry, but the competition in the same industry has also become fierce. In sharp contrast to the rapid growth of exhibition area, the total income of exhibition venues has been growing slowly in recent years, with the annual decline rate of more than 25% since 200 1.
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade released the Report on the Development of Exhibition Economy in China in 2008 on June 5438+1October 5, 2009, saying that the pace of building exhibition halls in China in 2009 will be difficult to contain, and the operation of exhibition halls will face greater difficulties. Wang Jinzhen, vice president of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that as an important part of modern service industry and a new growth point, China's convention and exhibition industry received great attention and support from governments at all levels as always last year. It is against this background that China's convention and exhibition industry has made great progress. However, while the achievements have been made, there are also some bad tendencies in the development of China's convention and exhibition industry, especially the new upsurge of venue construction will make the operation of the exhibition hall more difficult.
Wang Jinzhen reminded that the exhibition hall was built for the needs of exhibitions. Only when the number of exhibition halls meets the development level of convention and exhibition industry can we achieve good business performance. Under the background that the total number of exhibition halls in China has been relatively surplus, the increasing construction of exhibition halls will inevitably lead to greater difficulties in the operation of exhibition halls, and the overall idle waste of exhibition halls will be difficult to avoid.
In fact, the low utilization rate of exhibition venues is a common phenomenon in China, and the exhibition hall is just tacit. Behind the prosperity of exhibition hall construction, the livelihood of some exhibition halls is difficult. The utilization rate of several exhibition halls in Shenyang in 2008 can be seen. In 2008, three exhibition venues in Shenyang held a total of 132 exhibitions, including 26 exhibitions in Shenyang International Convention and Exhibition Center, 62 exhibitions in Liaoning Industrial Exhibition Hall and 44 exhibitions in Shenyang Science Palace Exhibition Center. During the five months of each year 10, 1 1, 12, 1, 2 and 2, the venues are basically idle, which is more prominent in Shenyang International Convention and Exhibition Center, where the exhibition halls are far away and have a large area, and basically stop operating during this period. How to improve the utilization rate of venues, especially in winter, and reduce operating costs is a major problem in Shenyang venue management.
On June 28th, 2008, 10, Shandong Qilu Evening News reported the embarrassing situation of various pavilions in Qingdao with the title "Some pavilions in Qingdao are dormant for less than 30 days a year". The report shows that the utilization rate of most exhibition halls in Qingdao is not high except Qingdao International Convention and Exhibition Center. Shandong Agricultural Products Exhibition and Trading Center is mainly established for holding Qingdao International Agricultural Products Fair. Only this professional exhibition is held every year, so the utilization rate is the lowest. After the annual Qingdao International Agricultural Products Fair, this exhibition hall has entered a vacant state again. Except Qingdao International Convention and Exhibition Center, other utilization rates are not high, and most venues are used for less than 30 days a year.
Especially for those pavilions endowed with "local landmark" buildings, the large-scale investment leads to the low utilization rate of the pavilions, the operation of the pavilions cannot make ends meet, and even the basic maintenance funds are unsustainable. In 2003, Nanjing International Convention and Exhibition Center had to transfer the property right of the exhibition hall because it could not be maintained. Haikou convention and exhibition center has many twists and turns. This image project invested and built by the local government had to be auctioned because of its difficult livelihood. What is even more incredible is that the aftermath of the auction of Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center in 2004 was not smooth, and the news came that Haikou would build a new exhibition hall and expand it. The beautiful beach is adjacent to Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center, and another larger convention and exhibition center is already under planning.
Under the current circumstances, the days of the exhibition hall are even more imaginable. Regarding the impact of the current financial crisis on the operation of exhibition halls, senior experts in the exhibition industry in Guangzhou said: The poor economic situation has reduced the economic benefits of export-oriented enterprises and greatly reduced the enthusiasm of enterprises to participate in exhibitions, so the impact on exhibition halls dominated by such exhibitions is definitely great. The most direct impact is the reduction of the occupancy rate of the exhibition area and the reduction of booth fees. The exhibition hall, which is dominated by industrial exhibitions, is not optimistic under the current situation.
Judging from the number of exhibition projects in several major exhibition halls in Guangzhou, the situation this year is more severe than last year: Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center (Pazhou Exhibition Hall) held 52 exhibition projects in 2008 and is expected to hold 42 in 2009; Kim Exhibition Center held 54 exhibition projects in 2008, and 25 projects are expected to be held in 2009. Guangzhou Poly World Trade Center Expo Hall held four exhibition projects in 2008, and six projects are expected to be held in 2009. Guangzhou International Procurement Center held five exhibition projects in 2008, and it is expected that 12 projects will be held in 2009. Guangzhou Baiyun International Conference Center is expected to hold 19 projects (including conferences, exhibitions and performances) in 2009.
The first-tier exhibition cities are still like this, so what about the second-and third-tier exhibition cities?
In 2008, there were nearly 80 exhibition projects in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, which was reduced to 52 in 2009, including two postponed exhibitions. Last year, we didn't see any postponed exhibition projects.
The number of exhibition projects in Dongguan International Convention and Exhibition Center in 2008 and 2009 is not much different, but a careful comparison shows that the four exhibitions in June 2008 disappeared in June 2009.
Affected by the financial crisis, the situation of Foshan convention and exhibition industry in 2009 is very severe. Foshan will hold more than 30 exhibitions this year, the number is slightly higher than last year, but the overall exhibition scale will be reduced, and the total revenue is expected to decrease 10%- 15% compared with previous years.
Although we can't judge the operation of exhibition halls only by the number of exhibition projects, these data show that the overall environment of the exhibition industry has been affected, but some exhibition halls are outstanding and some can't be compared, but one thing is certain: the life of exhibition halls is relatively difficult.
For the operation in the second half of this year, the insiders said that they are not optimistic, because the economic situation is not very clear, and many enterprises are waiting to see: participate? Not exhibiting? This kind of wait-and-see will lead to the reduction of the exhibition area of the exhibition company or the postponement of the exhibition, which will directly affect the operation of the exhibition hall.
Is the crown of the landmark a halo or a cross?
The exhibition fever has stimulated the construction of exhibition halls, and it is not uncommon to invest billions of yuan to build millions of square meters of exhibition halls. In particular, many local governments "love" to build the exhibition hall into a local landmark building.
Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center is a typical example. It is understood that the birth of Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center originated from Hainan Winter Expo. On the eve of the 200 1 Winter Fair, the first phase of Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center was completed and put into use. Previously, because there was no large exhibition hall in Hainan, the annual Winter Expo could only be "one place at a time", and the opening ceremony was even put on the road, which made the government feel very embarrassed. Therefore, the completion of Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center, a large-scale modern convention and exhibition center jointly funded by Hainan Province and Haikou Municipal Government, has ended the guerrilla days of Hainan Winter Expo. However, the Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center, which was jointly invested by the Hainan provincial government for more than one billion yuan, soon became a hot potato after earning enough face for the government. 1 year, the convention and exhibition center hosted 10 exhibitions, a large part of which were government-led exhibitions. /kloc-For most of the year, Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center is "living alone". The maintenance cost of the exhibition hall reaches several million yuan every year, which has become a heavy burden for the local government.
At the end of 2004, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Haikou decided to auction Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center, but the auction was aborted because no one cared. According to the person in charge of the management of Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center, the utilization rate of Haikou Convention and Exhibition Center was only about 8% at that time. Even this bleak situation can't stop Meilisha from planning to launch a larger convention and exhibition center. Since then, Xiamen, Dongguan and Shenyang have had similar experiences. On the one hand, it is an indisputable fact that blind comparison leads to overheating of the exhibition hall, on the other hand, the rental rate is low and the operation is bleak.
As everyone in the industry knows, the depreciation of exhibition venues is very high, and to some extent, they began to lose money before they were completed. At present, the average utilization rate of exhibition halls in China is less than 30%, but at least 30 cities have proposed to build international, China and regional exhibition centers. Judging from the construction of the World Exhibition Hall, regardless of the architectural styles in Europe or the United States, they all embody the principle of practicality, instead of building a big building for people to see. However, many places in China did not consider the characteristics of the exhibition hall, but blindly built it into a landmark building. The result of this kind of construction often leads to excessive investment in exhibition halls, but it is not practical. Construction investment is large, and landmark buildings increase the construction cost, which invisibly increases the difficulty of its operation and management, and makes its operation and management face great pressure.
For those image engineering museums born with the "golden key", the crown of landmark is actually a heavy cross.
Ask the pavilion: How many "private kitchens" do you have?
In fact, the vigorous construction of the exhibition hall is not just to spend huge sums of money to buy a beautiful vase and then put it in a conspicuous position. The ultimate function of the exhibition hall is to invite exhibitions and make profits by renting venues. The key to the profitability of the exhibition hall is to improve the utilization rate of the venue and increase the rental amount per unit area.
When building exhibition halls in many places, the exhibition halls are regarded as their own products, regardless of the regional layout. When building the exhibition hall, we only saw trees, but not forests. We just want to build our own exhibition hall and strive for perfection, but seldom consider the surrounding exhibition resources. As we all know, the development of a city's convention and exhibition industry should consider at least seven successful factors, such as industrial base, urban location, economic strength, resource advantages and exhibition-related facilities. The construction of exhibition venues should determine the layout of the exhibition halls from the perspective of the country and the characteristics of regional economy. On this basis, according to the characteristics of regional economy and the development law of local exhibition market, the scale and characteristics of exhibition hall construction are studied. Special consideration should be given to the surrounding exhibition resources. For example, Changchun International Convention and Exhibition Center relies on the rich local exhibition resources in Changchun. There are four "private kitchens" in Changchun for exhibition: one is the auto show, and Changchun is a famous automobile production base in China. Second, the Agricultural Fair, Jilin is a big agricultural province. The third is the education exhibition. Changchun is a university town. The fourth is Changchun Film Festival. The construction of exhibition halls in Changchun is based on the characteristics of regional economy. Therefore, even if there is no foreign exhibition after the completion of such an exhibition hall, there will be no worries about livelihood, and the four private kitchens at home can fully satisfy themselves. The same is true in Dalian, such as Dalian Ocean Expo and Dalian Fashion Festival, which are all "private kitchens" that can make you eat and drink enough. But in some places, it is different. An exhibition hall was built, only one or two exhibitions were held, and only one or two meals could be eaten a year. Often after the last meal, I don't know where to find rice for the pot tomorrow. Therefore, at the beginning of building the exhibition hall, first check whether you have several "private kitchens".
Di Jiankai, director of the Business Reform and Development Department of the Ministry of Commerce, believes that the more pavilions, the bigger the better, and the more luxurious the better. The key is to adapt to the needs of local economic development. He also believes that local governments should first strengthen their understanding of the convention and exhibition industry, grasp the basic laws of the convention and exhibition industry, and build exhibition halls according to the needs of local industries and markets. From a national perspective, the cities with strong demand for exhibitions are mainly Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Exhibition halls in these cities are in short supply.
Experts in the industry believe that the speed of building the museum now exceeds the speed of exhibition development. There are many factors for a place to develop convention and exhibition economy. None of them can determine whether this place can develop convention and exhibition industry. He believes that the background of each exhibition city is different, but the fundamental law is the same. We must respect these laws, otherwise the local convention and exhibition industry will not develop.
When talking about this issue, Li Zhiling, director of the Exhibition Research Institute of Beijing Union University, also thinks that the urban planning in many places is not reasonable, and the development of exhibition halls in different places is very uneven. In some areas, the density is too high, and there is a local surplus. In some places, the exhibition space is obviously insufficient, and the exhibition hall area is seriously insufficient. The construction of exhibition halls should aim at market demand. As the carrier of exhibition economy, the construction of exhibition hall can not be separated from the demand of exhibition market. The construction of the exhibition hall has to be demonstrated by many experts. The construction of exhibition hall is a systematic project. Its design and construction should not only listen to the opinions of exhibition experts, but also comprehensively consider the opinions of experts in various fields such as economy, architecture, society and environment, and finally determine the functions and characteristics of the exhibition hall. Relevant departments should establish a management mechanism for the planning and construction of urban convention and exhibition centers to avoid redundant construction and promote the healthy development of the convention and exhibition industry. Moreover, local governments should fully consider the local financial capacity and do what they can. Otherwise, it will easily lead to the "image crisis" of the government.
In the context of the global financial crisis, the "maverick" of domestic exhibition hall construction is really gratifying. Due to the relatively long construction period of the exhibition hall, those projects that have already started will continue to be invested; On the other hand, in the new round of government investment to stimulate domestic demand, many local governments may choose to invest in the construction of exhibition halls. Therefore, there is no fear of crisis in the construction of the exhibition hall, but why the exhibition hall should be built and whether it is built properly is a question worth pondering.
However, due to the financial crisis, some exhibition areas have shrunk, the number of exhibitors has declined, and the exhibition hall is also facing unprecedented pressure. When building exhibition halls all over the country, it is "you have it, I have it, everything". The exhibition hall construction lacks rational regression, but when it comes to exhibition hall management, it is "every family has its own problems".